Ground-Based Cirrus Observation in the Japanese Cloud and Climate Study: A Sonde System for Radiation and Cloud Microphysics Measurement

Clouds play a crucial role in radiative energy budget and water cycle in the earth-atmosphere system. In order to understand processes such as global warming and to improve assessment of climate change, it is necessary to develop climate models which properly take into account radiation and cloud processes. In addition, it is also important to improve satellite monitoring systems for measuring the global distribution of cloudiness and to derive cloud microphysical properties. The Japanese Cloud and Climate Study (JACCS) is a Japanese research effort focusing on the difficult problems associated with issues related to cloud-radiation interactions (Asano et al. 1994). It is one of many decade-long (FY1991-2000) climate research programs sponsored by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency.